Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning provides an excellent aerobic workout for advanced beginner to intermediate exercisers. It uses an interval training strategy, which involves alternating high intensity bursts with slower recovery periods; research has suggested that this method burns calories more effeciently than steady-state forms of cardio training.

The workout begins with a warm-up lasting approximately 6 1/2 minutes. I thought that some of the moves felt a bit awkward at first, but they were simple and easy-to-follow. This segment also included some basic stretching moves. The warmup flows smoothly into the interval workout, which starts with a few additional minutes of warming up. During this time, instructor Kathy Smith previews the upcoming moves, so that by the time you pick up the pace, you know exactly what is coming next. Each interval consists of two minutes at a higher intensity followed by two minutes of "active" recovery. Because the workout also is based on the principle of functional fitness, all of the exercises are designed to replicate "real life" movements--eg, leg raises, knee lifts, etc.--and thus the routine is extremely easy to learn. The recovery periods include a large number of squats, so you get in some excellent lower body toning in addition to the aerobic conditioning. Following the 28-minute intervals segment, there is a 5-minute stretching section, and the entire workout clocks in at approximately 42 minutes.

I tend to avoid most aerobic videos because they leave me feeling overworked and exhausted, so this routine was a pleasant surprise. Although Kathy does stress the importance of pushing yourself during the high intensity segments, repeatedly stating that you want to "make yourself breathless," the fact that each segment was only two minutes long made it easy for me to stay motivated. Furthermore, Kathy was very encouraging throughout the workout, reminding you of the time left in each segment (an on-screen clock showed the 1-minute and 30-seconds points) as well as how many intervals were left in the workout. Kathy works with four background exercisers, two of whom show lower impact modifications and two of whom kick it up a notch for those wanting to go even more intense.

I'm excited about discovering this video and hopeful that engaging in interval training will boost my fitness progress; highly recommended to anyone looking for a new and different type of aerobic workout.

Instructor Comments:
Kathy Smith is very motivating and encouraging her, with none of the over-the-top behavior from her Timesaver videos. Generally, her cuing is very good, although it seemed a bit off at certain points. However, she offers flawless mirrored cueing, a definite plus.

Beth C (aka toaster)